Concentrations and distribution of novel brominated flame retardants in the atmosphere and soil of Ny-Alesund and London Island,Svalbard,Arctic

Novel brominated flame retardants(NBFRs)were investigated in Arctic air and soil samples collected from Ny-?lesund and London Island,Svalbard,during Chinese scientific research expeditions to the Arctic during 2014–2015.The concentrations of 9 NBFRs in the Arctic air and soil were 4.9–8.7 pg/m3(average 6.8 pg/m3)and 101–201 pg/g dw(average 150 pg/g dw),respectively.The atmospheric concentration of hexabromobenzene(HBB)was significantly correlated with that of pentabromotoluene(PBT)and pentabromobenzene(PBBz),suggesting similar source and environmental fate in the Arctic air.No significant spatial difference was observed among the different sampling sites,both for air and soil samples,indicating that the effects of the scientific research stations on the occurrence of NBFRs in the Arctic were minor.The fugacities from soil to air of pentabromoethylbenzene(PBEB),2,3-dibromopropyl 2,4,6-tribromophenyl ether(DPTE),and decabromodiphenylethane 1,2-bis(pentabromophenyl)ethane(DBDPE)were lower than the equilibrium value,indicating a nonequilibrium state of these compounds between air and soil,the dominant impact of deposition and the net transport from air to soil.The correlation analysis between the measured and predicted soil-atmosphere coefficients based on the absorption model showed that the impact of the soil organic matter on the distribution of NBFRs in the Arctic region was minor.To the best of our knowledge,this work is one of the limited reports on atmospheric NBFRs in the Arctic and the first study to investigate the occurrence and fate of NBFRs in the Arctic soil.

Detection of novel brominated flame retardants (NBFRs) in the urban soils of Melbourne, Australia

A range of brominated flame retardants(BFRs)have been incorporated into polymeric materials like plastics,electronic equipment,foams and textiles to prevent fires.The most common of these,polybrominated diphenyl ethers(PBDEs),have been subject to legislated bans and voluntary withdrawal by manufacturers in North America,Europe and Australia over the past decade due to long-range atmospheric transport,persistence in the environment,and toxicity.Evidence has shown that replacement novel brominated flame retardants(NBFRs)are released to the environment by the same mechanisms as PBDEs and share similar hazardous properties.The objective of the current research was to characterize soil contamination by NBFRs in the urban soils of Melbourne,Australia.A variety of industrial and nonindustrial land-uses were investigated with the secondary objective of determining likely point sources of pollution.Six NBFRs;pentabromotoluene(PBT),pentabromoethylbenzene(PBEB),hexabromobenzene(HBB),2-ethylhexyl-2,3,4,5-tetrabromobenzoate(EH-TBB),1,2-bis(2,4,6-tribromophenoxy)ethane(BTBPE)and decabromodiphenyl ethane(DBDPE)were measured in 30 soil samples using selective pressurized liquid extraction(S-PLE)and gas chromatography coupled to triple quadrupole mass spectrometry(GC-MS/MS).NBFRs were detected in 24/30 soil samples with S5NBFR concentrations ranging from nd-385 ng/g dw.HBB was the most frequently detected compound(14/30),while the highest concentrations were observed for DBDPE,followed by BTBPE.Electronic waste recycling and polymer manufacturing appear to be key contributors to NBFR soil contamination in the city of Melbourne.A significant positive correlation between S8PBDEs and S5NBFR soil concentrations was observed at waste disposal sites to suggest that both BFR classes are present in Melbourne's waste streams,while no association was determined among manufacturing sites.This research provides the first account of NBFRs in Australian soils and indicates that these emerging contaminants possess a similar potential to contaminate Melbourne soils as PBDEs.

Novel biomonitoring method for determining five classes of legacy and alternative flame retardants in human serum samples

Flame retardants(FRs)are ubiquitous in environment and biota and may pose harm to human health.In recent years,concern regarding legacy and alternative FRs has been intensified due to their widespread production and increasing contamination in environmental and human matrices.In this study,we developed and validated a novel analytical method for simultaneous determination of legacy and alternative FRs,including polychlorinated naphthalenes(PCNs),short-and middle-chain chlorinated paraffins(SCCPs and MCCPs),novel brominated flame retardants(NBFRs),and organophosphate esters(OPEs)in human serum.Serum samples were prepared by liquid-liquid extraction using ethyl acetate,and purified with Oasis®HLB cartridge and Florisil–silica gel columns.Instrumental analyses were carried out using gas chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry,highresolution gas chromatography coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry,and gas chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry,respectively.The proposed method was validated for linearity,sensitivity,precision,accuracy,and matrix effects.Method detection limits for NBFRs,OPEs,PCNs,SCCPs,and MCCPs were 4.6×10^(–4)–8.6×10^(–2),4.3×10^(–3)–1.3,1.1×10^(–5)–1.0×10^(–4),1.5,and 9.0×10–1 ng/mL,respectively.Matrix spike recoveries ranged from 73%–122%,71%–124%,75%–129%,92%–126%,and 94%–126%for NBFRs,OPEs,PCNs,SCCPs,and MCCPs,respectively.The analytical method was applied for detection of real human serum.CPs were the dominant FRs in serum,indicating CPs were widely presented in human serum and should be pay more attention for their health risk.

Parental and transgenerational impairments of thyroid endocrine system in zebrafish by 2,4,6-tribromophenol

Many environmental contaminants could be transmitted fromparents and generate impairments to their progeny.The 2,4,6-tribromophenol(TBP),a novel brominated flame retardant which has been frequently detected in various organisms,was supposed to be bioaccumulated and intergenerational transmitted in human beings.Previous studies revealed that TBP could disrupt thyroid endocrine system in zebrafish larvae.However,there is no available data regarding the parental and transgenerational toxicity of this contaminant.Thus,in this study adult zebrafish were exposed to environmental contaminated levels of TBP for 60 days to investigate the parental and transgenerational impairments on thyroid endocrine system.Chemical analysis verified the bioaccumulation of TBP in tested organs of parents(concentration:liver>gonads>brain)and its transmission into eggs.For adults,increased thyroid hormones,disturbed transcriptions of related genes and histopathological changes in thyroid follicles indicate obvious thyroid endocrine disruptions.Transgenerational effects are indicated by the increased thyroid hormones both in eggs(maternal source)and in developed larvae(newly synthesized),aswell as disrupted transcriptional profiles of key genes in HPT axis.The overall results suggest that the accumulated TBP could be transmitted from parent to offspring and generate thyroid endocrine disruptions in both generations.